How ‘America’s Front Yard’ Was Designed To Accommodate Massive Crowds

The crowd at President Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009.
Torrenegra

The National Mall will soon be filled with tens of thousands of people attending the presidential inauguration and the Women’s March. We explore the history of gatherings and protests on the Mall and the roles presidents have played in shaping the public spaces that accommodate such crowds in our nation’s capital.

Guests

Roger Lewis
Architect; Columnist, "Shaping the City," Washington Post; and Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of Maryland College Park

Sheila Brennan
Director of Strategic Initiatives and Research Associate Professor, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University

Historic Photos of the National Mall

1901: The Senate Park Commission releases the McMillan Plan for the National Mall:
National Capital Planning Commission